Career pivot: anyone switched industries to be more available?

Dec 171 min read

I'm a software engineer making solid money ($165k) but I travel constantly and my kids barely know me. I've been thinking about switching to like... sales engineering or something that's more stable hours. Less travel. Probably less money. My wife thinks I'm crazy. Part of me agrees but part of me resents that the burden of "presence" falls on me when she could also negotiate her hours. Has anyone made a real career change for family reasons? Did you regret it? Miss the money? I need real talk.

10 comments177 views

Comments(10)

PPaul W.RegularDec 17

Real talk: before you pivot, have you looked at your company's remote or travel-lite options? Some tech companies are flexible on that. $165k with stability might beat a salary cut you're not expecting

AAl G.RegularDec 17

Sales engineering still travels a decent amount depending on the company. Have you talked to SE's at your current company about what their travel actually looks like? Might not be the magic solution

MMiles B.New DadDec 18

I did something similar - went from consulting (constant travel) to in-house role at a smaller company. Took a 20% pay cut but I'm HOME. My kids actually know what I have for breakfast now. Worth reconsidering your priorities though, not just the job

LLarry K.RegularDec 18

Before you leave software eng entirely, have you explored remote-first companies or roles with permanent home base? You'd keep your salary but get the stability.

TTom R.RegularDec 19

I did something similar - went from finance to operations because the hours were at least predictable. Real talk though: money matters. I took a $40k cut and it stung for 2 years. Worth it to put my kids to bed, but don't ignore that piece.

HHank L.RegularDec 19

this hits hard because I'm in the same boat. The $165k is golden handcuffs and my kids are basically raised by my wife. Haven't made the jump yet but thinking about it constantly

SStan D.RegularDec 19

Don't discount the money aspect - $165k is genuinely life-changing security. Before you pivot, could you push back on travel without switching industries? Like ask for a role that's 70% travel instead of 100%?

MMarvin T.RegularDec 18

Sales engineering might actually be worse travel-wise depending on the company. Some of my buddies in sales eng are on the road even more because they have to be at customer sites. Have you looked into what that actually looks like?

LLuca P.RegularDec 19

This is the hard one. You can make more money later but you can't get these years back with your kids. The $165k is great but if you're barely seeing them what's the point. Have you talked to your kids about what they actually want?

PPete A.RegularDec 20

Don't sleep on the financial hit. A pivot to "more stable" often means less money. Kids knowing you is priceless but make sure you're not creating a different problem - stress about paying bills. Maybe look for remote software roles first?